Found problems: 3597
2021 Romanian Master of Mathematics Shortlist, A2
Let $n$ be a positive integer and let $x_1,\ldots,x_n,y_1,\ldots,y_n$ be integers satisfying the following
condition: the numbers $x_1,\ldots,x_n$ are pairwise distinct and for every positive integer $m$ there
exists a polynomial $P_m$ with integer coefficients such that $P_m(x_i) - y_i$, $i=1,\ldots,n$, are all divisible by $m$. Prove that there exists a polynomial $P$ with integer coefficients such that $P(x_i) = y_i$ for all $i=1,\ldots,n$.
2012 Olympic Revenge, 2
We define $(x_1, x_2, \ldots , x_n) \Delta (y_1, y_2, \ldots , y_n) = \left( \sum_{i=1}^{n}x_iy_{2-i}, \sum_{i=1}^{n}x_iy_{3-i}, \ldots , \sum_{i=1}^{n}x_iy_{n+1-i} \right)$, where the indices are taken modulo $n$.
Besides this, if $v$ is a vector, we define $v^k = v$, if $k=1$, or $v^k = v \Delta v^{k-1}$, otherwise.
Prove that, if $(x_1, x_2, \ldots , x_n)^k = (0, 0, \ldots , 0)$, for some natural number $k$, then $x_1 = x_2 = \ldots = x_n = 0$.
2005 Iran MO (3rd Round), 4
a) Year 1872 Texas
3 gold miners found a peice of gold. They have a coin that with possibility of $\frac 12$ it will come each side, and they want to give the piece of gold to one of themselves depending on how the coin will come. Design a fair method (It means that each of the 3 miners will win the piece of gold with possibility of $\frac 13$) for the miners.
b) Year 2005, faculty of Mathematics, Sharif university of Technolgy
Suppose $0<\alpha<1$ and we want to find a way for people name $A$ and $B$ that the possibity of winning of $A$ is $\alpha$. Is it possible to find this way?
c) Year 2005 Ahvaz, Takhti Stadium
Two soccer teams have a contest. And we want to choose each player's side with the coin, But we don't know that our coin is fair or not. Find a way to find that coin is fair or not?
d) Year 2005,summer
In the National mathematical Oympiad in Iran. Each student has a coin and must find a way that the possibility of coin being TAIL is $\alpha$ or no. Find a way for the student.
2011 Miklós Schweitzer, 5
Let n, k be positive integers. Let $f_a(x) := ||x - a||^{2n}$ , where the vectors $x = (x_1, ..., x_k) , a\in R^k$ , and ||·|| is the Euclidean norm. Let the vector space $Q_{n, k}$ be generated by the functions $f_a$ ($a\in R^k$). What is the largest integer N for which $Q_{n, k}$ contains all polynomials of $x_1, ..., x_k$ whose total degree is at most N?
2014 China Girls Math Olympiad, 5
Let $a$ be a positive integer, but not a perfect square; $r$ is a real root of the equation $x^3-2ax+1=0$. Prove that $ r+\sqrt{a}$ is an irrational number.
2021 China Team Selection Test, 4
Let $f(x),g(x)$ be two polynomials with integer coefficients. It is known that for infinitely many prime $p$, there exist integer $m_p$ such that
$$f(a) \equiv g(a+m_p) \pmod p$$
holds for all $a \in \mathbb{Z}.$ Prove that there exists a rational number $r$ such that
$$f(x)=g(x+r).$$
2015 India IMO Training Camp, 2
Let $f$ and $g$ be two polynomials with integer coefficients such that the leading coefficients of both the polynomials are positive. Suppose $\deg(f)$ is odd and the sets $\{f(a)\mid a\in \mathbb{Z}\}$ and $\{g(a)\mid a\in \mathbb{Z}\}$ are the same. Prove that there exists an integer $k$ such that $g(x)=f(x+k)$.
2023 Princeton University Math Competition, A3
Let $f(X)$ be a monic irreducible polynomial over $\mathbb{Z}$; therefore, by Gauss's Lemma, $f$ is also irreducible over $\mathbb{Q}$ (you may assume this). Moreover, assume $f(X) \mid f\left(X^2+n\right)$ where $n$ is an integer such that $n \notin\{-1,0,1\}$. Show that $n^2 \nmid f(0)$.
PEN Q Problems, 5
(Eisentein's Criterion) Let $f(x)=a_{n}x^{n} +\cdots +a_{1}x+a_{0}$ be a nonconstant polynomial with integer coefficients. If there is a prime $p$ such that $p$ divides each of $a_{0}$, $a_{1}$, $\cdots$,$a_{n-1}$ but $p$ does not divide $a_{n}$ and $p^2$ does not divide $a_{0}$, then $f(x)$ is irreducible in $\mathbb{Q}[x]$.
2018 Singapore MO Open, 5
Consider a polynomial $P(x,y,z)$ in three variables with integer coefficients such that for any real numbers $a,b,c,$ $$P(a,b,c)=0 \Leftrightarrow a=b=c.$$
Find the largest integer $r$ such that for all such polynomials $P(x,y,z)$ and integers $m,n,$ $$m^r\mid P(n,n+m,n+2m).$$
[i]Proposed by Ma Zhao Yu
1994 Putnam, 4
Let $A$ and $B$ be $2\times 2$ matrices with integer entries such that $A, A+B, A+2B, A+3B,$ and $A+4B$ are all invertible matrices whose inverses have integer entries. Show that $A+5B$ is invertible and that its inverse has integer entries.
1996 Austrian-Polish Competition, 3
The polynomials $P_{n}(x)$ are defined by $P_{0}(x)=0,P_{1}(x)=x$ and \[P_{n}(x)=xP_{n-1}(x)+(1-x)P_{n-2}(x) \quad n\geq 2\] For every natural number $n\geq 1$, find all real numbers $x$ satisfying the equation $P_{n}(x)=0$.
2009 Princeton University Math Competition, 4
Given that $P(x)$ is the least degree polynomial with rational coefficients such that
\[P(\sqrt{2} + \sqrt{3}) = \sqrt{2},\] find $P(10)$.
1977 Polish MO Finals, 3
Consider the polynomial $W(x) = (x - a)^kQ(x)$, where $a \neq 0$, $Q$ is a nonzero polynomial, and $k$ a natural number. Prove that $W$ has at least $k + 1$ nonzero coefficients.
1998 Brazil Team Selection Test, Problem 3
Find all functions $f: \mathbb N \to \mathbb N$ for which
\[ f(n) + f(n+1) = f(n+2)f(n+3)-1996\]
holds for all positive integers $n$.
2010 Contests, 2
Let $r$ and $s$ be positive integers. Define $a_0 = 0$, $a_1 = 1$, and $a_n = ra_{n-1} + sa_{n-2}$ for $n \geq 2$. Let $f_n = a_1a_2\cdots a_n$. Prove that $\displaystyle\frac{f_n}{f_kf_{n-k}}$ is an integer for all integers $n$ and $k$ such that $0 < k < n$.
[i]Evan O' Dorney.[/i]
2007 ITAMO, 2
We define two polynomials with integer coefficients P,Q to be similar if the coefficients of P are a permutation of the coefficients of Q.
a) if P,Q are similar, then $P(2007)-Q(2007)$ is even
b) does there exist an integer $k > 2$ such that $k \mid P(2007)-Q(2007)$ for all similar polynomials P,Q?
2015 BMT Spring, 2
Let $g(x)=1+2x+3x^2+4x^3+\ldots$. Find the coefficient of $x^{2015}$ of $f(x)=\frac{g(x)}{1-x}$.
2011 Tuymaada Olympiad, 4
Let $P(n)$ be a quadratic trinomial with integer coefficients. For each positive integer $n$, the number $P(n)$ has a proper divisor $d_n$, i.e., $1<d_n<P(n)$, such that the sequence $d_1,d_2,d_3,\ldots$ is increasing. Prove that either $P(n)$ is the product of two linear polynomials with integer coefficients or all the values of $P(n)$, for positive integers $n$, are divisible by the same integer $m>1$.
2017 Romania Team Selection Test, P2
Determine all intergers $n\geq 2$ such that $a+\sqrt{2}$ and $a^n+\sqrt{2}$ are both rational for some real number $a$ depending on $n$
2024 SG Originals, Q1
Find all permutations $(a_1, a_2, \cdots, a_{2024})$ of $(1, 2, \cdots, 2024)$ such that there exists a polynomial $P$ with integer coefficients satisfying $P(i) = a_i$ for each $i = 1, 2, \cdots, 2024$.
2023 Estonia Team Selection Test, 2
Let $n$ be a positive integer. Find all polynomials $P$ with real coefficients such that $$P(x^2+x-n^2)=P(x)^2+P(x)$$ for all real numbers $x$.
2011 AMC 12/AHSME, 23
Let $f(z)=\frac{z+a}{z+b}$ and $g(z)=f(f(z))$, where $a$ and $b$ are complex numbers. Suppose that $|a|=1$ and $g(g(z))=z$ for all $z$ for which $g(g(z))$ is defined. What is the difference between the largest and smallest possible values of $|b|$?
$\textbf{(A)}\ 0 \qquad
\textbf{(B)}\ \sqrt{2}-1 \qquad
\textbf{(C)}\ \sqrt{3}-1 \qquad
\textbf{(D)}\ 1 \qquad
\textbf{(E)}\ 2$
1991 AMC 12/AHSME, 20
The sum of all real $x$ such that $(2^{x} - 4)^{3} + (4^{x} - 2)^{3} = (4^{x} + 2^{x} - 6)^{3}$ is
$ \textbf{(A)}\ 3/2\qquad\textbf{(B)}\ 2\qquad\textbf{(C)}\ 5/2\qquad\textbf{(D)}\ 3\qquad\textbf{(E)}\ 7/2 $
1994 Baltic Way, 2
Let $a_1,a_2,\ldots ,a_9$ be any non-negative numbers such that $a_1=a_9=0$ and at least one of the numbers is non-zero. Prove that for some $i$, $2\le i\le 8$, the inequality $a_{i-1}+a_{i+1}<2a_i$ holds. Will the statement remain true if we change the number $2$ in the last inequality to $1.9$?